Banning these fans from one game is not good enough.
FOR LIFE.
- I do believe in forgiveness, but I still believe in banning these fans for life.
BAN
I really don't think that the Yankees will ban them for life, but I will be surprised if their season tickets are not revoked for at least one year.
Respecting the game is such an important thing. Respecting the rights of the players, especially the visitors, to play safely and without undue hostility.
Do these Yankees fans deserve CRIMINAL PROSECUTION?
ESPN VIDEO LINK
Yankee Stadium fans ejected for prying ball from Mookie Betts' glove
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/42081449/yankee-stadium-fan-ejected-prying-ball-mookie-betts-glove
NEW YORK -- Two fans at Yankee Stadium were ejected from Game 4 of the World Series after one pried a foul ball out of the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts on Tuesday night.
Betts leaped at the wall in foul territory and initially caught Gleyber Torres' popup in the first inning, but a fan in the first row, Austin Capobianco, grabbed Betts' glove with both hands and pulled the ball out. Capobianco's friend, John Peter, then grabbed Betts' non-glove hand.
Betts reacted angrily, and Torres was immediately ruled out by right-field umpire Mark Carlson on fan interference.
Capobianco, a Yankees season-ticket holder, said he knew he would be in trouble but chose to grab and open Betts' glove nonetheless, telling ESPN that he and Peter often discuss this exact scenario: If a foul ball comes their way, they're going to do what they can to help their team.
"We always joke about the ball in our area," Capobianco, 38, said at a local bar after the game. "We're not going to go out of our way to attack. If it's in our area, we're going to 'D' up.
"Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We're willing to do this."
Betts, who was visibly frustrated in the moment, downplayed the incident after the game.
"When it comes to the person in play, it doesn't matter," Betts said. "We lost. It's irrelevant. I'm fine. He's fine. Everything's cool. We lost the game and that's what I'm kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow."
The Dodgers had a two-run lead at the time on Freddie Freeman's two-run homer, but the Dodgers were unable to complete a sweep and took an 11-4 loss to the Yankees.
"I've never seen anything like it," Dodgers rookie pitcher Ben Casparius said. "It's pretty interesting. It was obviously very early in the game so I think it kind of set the tone."
Capobianco and Peter were escorted out of Yankee Stadium but said they were told they would be allowed back for Game 5 on Wednesday. The Yankees did not immediately respond to ESPN's request for comment regarding if that was indeed the case.
"I know when I'm in the wrong and as soon as I did it, I was like, 'Boys I'm out of here,'" Capobianco told ESPN. "I patrol that wall and they know that."
The situation was reminiscent of Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS at Yankee Stadium and the controversy that ensued, when preteen New York fan Jeffrey Maier intercepted a fly ball that seemed destined for the glove of Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco. With no replay review at that time, the hit went for a Derek Jeter home run and became the stuff of October baseball legend.
It was the second time Torres had an at-bat affected by fan interference in this World Series. With two outs in the ninth inning of Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, Torres hit a fly ball to left field, and a fan reached over and caught the ball. Torres was awarded a double.
In Game 4, Torres later hit a three-run homer to right field for New York's final runs.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.
Yankees fans who interfered with Mookie Betts banned from World Series Game 5
Two New York Yankees fans have been banned from attending Game 5 of the World Series after interfering with Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts in Game 4.
The Yankees announced in a statement Wednesday that the fans "will not be permitted to attend tonight's game in any capacity" and added that the incident Tuesday night with Betts was "egregious and unacceptable."
A source told ESPN's Jesse Rogers earlier Wednesday that it was not immediately clear whether the ban against Austin Capobianco and John Peter, both season-ticket holders, would apply to any Yankee Stadium games next season.
"The safety and security of players, fans and Stadium staff is the foundational element of every event held at Yankee Stadium, and it cannot be compromised," the Yankees said in their statement.
"Tonight marks the final home game of year, and we want every ounce of our fans' passion on display. Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity, however the exuberance of supporting one's team can never cross the line into intentionally putting players at physical risk."
The team said it gave the fans' Game 5 tickets to an ill child and his family who were unable to attend a kids-only news conference at the ballpark in September to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Capobianco told Rogers that the Yankees refunded him the cost of the tickets for Game 5 and also informed him that he would be arrested if he tried to attend the game.
"We're hoping for a short-term ban," Capobianco told Rogers. "We don't want to lose the season tickets."
Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark said in a statement Wednesday that the union "will be closely tracking both the response to that incident and the protective measures taken going forward."
"The MLBPA takes Player safety and security very seriously, including and especially at the ballpark," Clark said. "As with every incident at the ballpark that affects Players, we have been in regular contact with League security officials since last night's incident."
Capobianco and Peter were ejected for prying the ball out of Betts' glove after the right fielder's leaping catch in the first inning.
Betts leaped at the wall along the right-field line in foul territory and initially caught Gleyber Torres' popup. Capobianco, seated in the first row and wearing a gray Yankees road jersey, grabbed Betts' glove with both hands and pulled the ball out while Peter grabbed Betts' non-glove hand at the wrist.
Betts reacted angrily, and Torres was immediately called out on fan interference.
"Not good. There's no place for that. It's as simple as that," New York manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday. "Come here, cheer, root for your team, whatever. No place for that. Should never have hands on anyone."
Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo said Wednesday he wasn't too surprised by what happened in New York.
"I saw it. It was maybe one of the more extreme -- kind of trying to rip a ball out," he said. "But at the same time, that's kind of New York. I feel like that's what you expect out here. You expect some unique things.
"At the end of the day, I didn't feel it was too serious. I think Mookie kind of shook it off, too. That's just kind of the passion, I guess, New Yorkers have."
It was the second time Torres had an at-bat impacted by fan interference this World Series. With two outs in the ninth inning of Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, Torres hit a fly ball to left field, and a fan reached over and caught the ball. Torres was awarded a double.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
PLEASE...
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- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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